The Scottish actor first shot to fame as Rob Stark in HBO's hugely successful Game Of Thrones .

And after leaving the show in one if its most shocking ever scenes, he has gone on to land more leading roles.

In his latest, BBC drama Bodyguard, he plays war veteran David Budd who becomes a police protection officer tasked with guarding Home ­Secretary Julia Montague, played by Keeley Hawes .

Here's the background on the star, from his start in a local youth theatre group, to rumours he could be the next James Bond , according to the Mirror .

Richard Madden growing up

Richard Madden was born on 18 June 1986 in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

He took his first acting roles with the local Pace Youth Theatre while he was still in primary school, and eventually went on to study for a BA in acting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.

He won roles in BBC series Hope Springs in 2009, and film Worried About The Boy in 2010, before his first high-profile role in 2011 in Game Of Thrones.

He went on to play Prince Kit in Disney's 2015 version of Cinderella, and Oliver Mellors in a BBC adaptation of Lady Chatterley's Lover.

And he's now gaining legions of new fans thanks to BBC thriller Bodyguard.

Game Of Thrones

Madden's most famous role to date has been as Rob Stark in HBO fantasy drama Game Of Thrones.

He portrayed the eldest Stark son, and later King In The North, for three series from 2011 until 2013.

His character's bloody Season 3 demise at the Red Wedding remains one of the show's most shocking moments.

Who has Richard Madden dated?

Richard dated Doctor Who and Victoria star Jenna Coleman for four years, but the couple split in 2015.